50 pages • 1 hour read
W. Bruce CameronA Dog's Purpose
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Character Analysis
Toby/Bailey/Ellie/Bear-Bear/Buddy
The protagonist of A Dog’s Purpose is a dog who has many names throughout the novel. The dog begins his first life in difficult circumstances (as a wild puppy taken to an illegal rescue) and quickly begins to search for purpose. The dog’s first life ends tragically early, and he never truly finds a purpose; however, he understands that humans are an important factor in the health and happiness of dogs, a lesson he will carry with him through his next lives.
It is in his second life, as Bailey, that the dog begins to learn most of the lessons that will inspire his later incarnations. Bailey’s life once again begins traumatically (being taken and left in a hot car) and almost ends in death, but he is saved by someone, a fact that underscores the lesson he learned in his first life—that humans are generally good. Bailey becomes the dog of an eight-year-old boy named Ethan and begins to learn the lessons of a domesticated animal, such as how to behave and when. In this life, Bailey must also learn to coexist with a cat, a lesson that will also play a role in a later incarnation. The most important lesson Bailey learns in this second life is loyalty to the humans who love him. Bailey is taught to save Ethan when he mistakes his dive into a lake as a rescue mission and learns that his presence in Ethan’s life brings him a level of joy and safety.
When Bailey dies and awakens to discover he has been born again, he remembers his previous life and grieves for Ethan. At the same time, he takes the lessons he learned from Ethan and becomes a successful search-and-rescue dog under the tutelage of owners Jakob and Maya. At each stage of his life, Bailey grows in knowledge and understanding and puts his experiences and learning opportunities toward the purpose he believes he is to fulfill. However, at the end of his third life, Bailey feels he has fulfilled his purpose and is disappointed to be born once again. Yet, this life brings Bailey back to the boy who made such an impact on his second life, Ethan, and he uses what he learned to make Ethan’s life happy and comfortable in his final years.
Bailey has a strong focus on purpose throughout the novel, striving to find his place in the world with each and every chance he is given to live. Although Bailey doesn’t always understand what is happening around him and struggles to grasp the language and behaviors of humans, he understands that his existence is somewhat dependent on humans and that their happiness and safety are often dependent on dogs like him. This is the main lesson that Bailey learns and is the one that allows him to continue pursuing his purpose even after Ethan’s death.
Ethan
Ethan is one of Bailey’s owners. Ethan is only eight when he and Bailey meet, but he shows enthusiasm and determination in the process of training Bailey to be a good dog. Bailey remains with Ethan for more than 10 years, and in this time, Bailey witnesses Ethan grow and mature into adulthood. Ethan teaches Bailey many of the lessons that stick with him through his many lives, including the rewards of rescuing a human.
Ethan is a typical teenager through the early parts of the novel, playing football and falling in love with the girl next door. However, when tragedy happens and Ethan is burned in a house fire and breaks his leg, ending his football career, bitterness enters his life. He demonstrates a great deal of strength when he returns to his friends and high school, even moving forward with college plans despite the loss of a football scholarship. This resilience teaches Bailey that adversity can be conquered.
At the end of the novel, Ethan is an older man who has never married and lives a quiet, solitary life. When Bailey reunites with Ethan, the dog recognizes his previous owner’s sadness and uses a lesson learned from another owner (Jakob) to bring happiness into Ethan’s life. When Bailey reunites Ethan with childhood sweetheart Hannah, he brings love and warmth into Ethan’s world. In helping Ethan, Bailey not only has returned to a happy place from one of his previous lives but also feels he has once again fulfilled some kind of purpose. This can also be said of Ethan, who has found purpose in his life by reuniting with his childhood sweetheart and joining a family who welcomes him with open arms.
Ethan’s role in the novel is not only to help teach Bailey purpose but also to explore the human side of the dog/human relationship. Bailey demonstrates unquestionable loyalty, but so does Ethan. Ethan displays a connection to Bailey that is unbreakable, which is part of the reason why Bailey remembers him through all of his incarnations and eventually comes back to him. In the end, when Ethan finally recognizes Buddy as Bailey, this connection is made clear.
Todd
Todd is an antagonist during Bailey’s first life with Ethan. He is a young man with violent tendencies. Todd moves to Ethan’s neighborhood not long after Bailey comes to live with Ethan, and they become fast friends due to being close in age. However, Todd’s behavior begins to make Ethan feel uncomfortable, as there is an incident with fireworks that frightens Ethan, showcasing the differences in the boys’ personalities. Todd is excited by danger and lacks empathy for others, while Ethan is the complete opposite.
As the novel progresses, little things happen that only Bailey is aware of. Another dog goes missing, and Bailey can smell her on Todd, but no one else suspects Todd’s involvement. Todd attempts to hurt Bailey, but circumstances lead to Bailey escaping. These little things begin to add up when Todd begins acting out against Ethan, lying to Hannah about Ethan’s loyalty, and picking a fight over a neighborhood go-cart race. Bailey has only begun to understand that his role in this life is to protect Ethan and his family. When Todd shows up and attempts to burn the family home down, Bailey is not home at first but arrives in time to leave a mark on Todd that results in his capture. In this way, Bailey has protected the family, but at the same time, Todd has played a significant role in altering Ethan’s future (due to Ethan getting injured). Todd teaches Bailey that not all humans are safe.
Maya
Maya is another of Bailey’s owners. She is a cop who works hard to become Bailey’s (as Ellie) partner on a search-and-rescue team. Maya is overweight and decides to make a change in her career as Ellie’s handler. She struggles in ways that Ellie barely understands, but she learns a few lessons of her own from her fellow cops and becomes a successful handler. She and Ellie save multiple lives, but the former shows true kindness and compassion when she adopts Ellie after the dog loses her ability to track (due to a chemical burn).
Maya is another human in Bailey/Ellie’s life who teaches the dog the value of saving another’s life. From Maya, Bailey learns to keep fighting despite life’s obstacles and that loyalty is earned. At the same time, Bailey gets insight into how relationships can change a person’s perspective in their day-to-day life. Bailey witnesses Maya fall in love, get married, and have a child, all things he takes with him to his next life to help Ethan. Each human Bailey comes in contact with teaches him something new, and Maya is no exception.
Hannah
Hannah is Ethan’s love interest. She lives on the farm next to the one that belongs to Ethan’s grandparents. As teenagers, Hannah and Ethan become close, something that often confuses but amuses Bailey. This relationship is new and exciting for both Hannah and Ethan and gives the impression of being long lasting. Even Bailey can see that their connection is special. Hannah often comes to visit Ethan, occasionally running into Todd and struggling with the lies he tells her. Through it all, her relationship with Ethan grows.
Hannah is not a fully fleshed out character in this novel, but her presence is important for several reasons. Hannah is Ethan’s first love, and their relationship is Bailey’s first experience with a successful romantic relationship between two humans. Hannah and Ethan’s relationship teaches Bailey that just like a boy and a dog need each other, humans often need each other to find happiness. This knowledge sticks with Bailey in his next life, where it is further expanded upon by him seeing Maya blossom in her relationship with Al, as well as seeing the darkness disappear from Jakob when he remarries and has a child. As Buddy, Bailey uses this newfound understanding to reunite Ethan with Hannah.
The first time the reader meets Hannah, she is a shy teenager. She blossoms into a confident high school senior whose eye begins to wander to other young men. Later, when Bailey finds her again, Hannah is a grown woman with three daughters. There is light and happiness in Hannah’s world, and by reuniting Hannah and Ethan, Bailey brings this light into Ethan’s world, too.
